Theon"Who?!" I scream. I didn’t realize anything was wrong until my wolf reared his head, making his presence known after days of peace in my head. I’d been in my room, getting ready to head over to town, because I was scheduled to check the renovations of the earthquake.Suddenly, panic rushed through my being, and I couldn’t move. "Mate!" My wolf had yelled, pacing frantically in my head, trying to gain control. "What? What's wrong?" I'd asked him, shocked. What was happening to Callista? Had someone tried to feed her glass again? "Mate's in danger!" my wolf howled. "She's hurt! Find her! Help her!"My blood had run cold.“Where?”My instincts had me running down the hall in no time. I shouted Callista’s name multiple times, looking everywhere I could for her. Everyone in the castle stopped their business to gawk at me, immediately catching onto my panic. "Where's Callista?" I'd clutched a startled butler from his shoulders, shaking him like a madman. My dread increased by the
Callista I sit in my room, feeling oddly shivery. I've never really felt like this before, not even in my first days as a stealer in the Rexellen pack. It feels as if my insides are tingling, and my stomach is upset. I feel cold, although my room is heated. My mind flits from Theon to Elias to Valencia, playing all the scenes of the day in my head.I can't focus. Thoughts flash in my mind at the speed of light.Is Theon okay? What of Elias? Did he turn even after I was taken from the room? Did Theon find Valencia? Did Valencia escape the Rexellen pack lands? Did she hurt Theon? Did Theon hurt her? Did she lie to him again? I feel some sort of movement next to me, and I flinch. My hands automatically go to the arms of the chair that I am sitting on. "Woah," Haden’s voice comes, and I notice that it is indeed him. He holds a cup of tea in his hand, and his expression is sorrowful. "It's just me, Callista. I'm sorry if I startled you.""It's okay," I let out a breath. "It's my fault.
Callista I've never felt murderous. No, that's wrong. I have felt murderous before. But not to this degree. And I didn't know why I felt so strongly about this.It's not like I haven't been wronged in my life before, because I have been. My parents, my sister, my former Alpha, my current Alpha...all of them had hurt me at some point in my very short life of eighteen years, yet I've never felt the need to utterly destroy them as I did for Valencia. The anger I feel surprises me, and I try to find a reason for it. Perhaps it's because the others I've mentioned before had only wanted to hurt me. Only me, not others. But Valencia didn't just want to kill me. She was ready to sacrifice any amount of people to have me.Not even Ruelle did that. The guards who Valencia had drugged were still in the ICU of the hospital, where the doctors were monitoring them constantly. Wolfsbane overdose was lethal most of the time, and even when a wolf came out of it, it wasn't guaranteed that he would
Callista I rush down the hallway to the entrance of the castle, where Theon stands with a group of guards, shirtless, looking dejected and frustrated. His expression stays stoic as he speaks with Kellin in a tight, measured tone, as if he’s trying his best to hold back his feelings."I need to call the Galdine pack immediately," I hear him say as I get closer, a growl in his voice. Well, that means he’s not suppressing his feelings well. He must be really angry. "I must talk with the Alpha and ask him what the hell his daughter is doing.”"Chances are that the Alpha knows nothing about this," Kellin replies, tone bitter. "But if he does, he won't tell you anything. He will try to protect his daughter just like last time.""I don’t give a shit! I’m going to get answers one way or the other," Theon snaps. "I’m the Alpha King and his former Gamma is a threat to my pack, and he is going to have to provide me some answers if he wants to see her alive again. If he refuses, that would be tr
CallistaI don't understand this, and by the looks of it, neither do my fellow wolves. "What?" Theon demands. "I never told her such a thing!""I'm telling you the truth, Your Majesty, I swear on the Goddess," Warren replies, his face the epitome of earnestness. "Falcon died three months before the news of your mate’s unfortunate demise came by the pack, and as soon as she heard it, Valencia came to me. She asked me permission to allow her to head a diplomatic delegation to the Rexellen pack. I was skeptical, but she was stable then, and her psychiatrist had given her the green light. She told me that she didn't love you anymore and that she only wanted to visit her oldest friend and possibly mend the broken bridges. So, I gave her my permission." "And then she left, and I tried calling her. But every call went unanswered, her network was always busy or unavailable or something or the other. A day before the annual festival, I called her again. And finally, after a million missed ca
TheonWe left for the Galdine pack that night as soon as we finished arming the Rexellen pack against Valencia. We suspect that she's working with a witch, so we consider as a threat accordingly. Kellin stays behind to watch over the pack in my absence as per his Beta duties. Haden accompanies me with Alan and Terrel, a guard. The ride to the Rexellen pack is like a true-crime podcast."She somehow hacked into the CCTV cameras," says Alan. "The only thing I saw was the two guards, John and Gabe, just sitting near the door like usual. All throughout the incident that was what played on the screen."I groan. Of course, she did."Her major was computer science in college," I tell them. "No wonder she hacked the CCTV.""In that case, I need to completely revamp the security," Alan replies with a sigh. Terrel drives, silent as ever. Haden sits next to him in the front passenger seat. The night is pitch dark and starless. We'd passed a human city already. The Galdine pack is farther than t
ValenciaI run down the hill in my wolf form, days after I escaped the Rexellen pack.The night is bright with the crescent Rexellen, free from the disastrous light pollution that plagues human cities. I've been hiding in them for the last few days, and I can now confidently say I hate human civilizations. The long grass beneath my feet brushes my legs and belly as I run, and the cold of the Fall night is soothing. It helps me calm my mind more, and I desperately need the concentration to do what I have to do next. But as I run, thoughts plague my mind.I had been a fool before, I didn't plan my escape fully. Why? Because I thought there wasn't a need for one. My plan was perfect. Drug the two guards near the door. That was easy. All I had to do was dress in a maid uniform, put on a wig, and bring them coffee. They'd drunk it gratefully as it was early in the morning. The Wolfsbane had worked immediately, knocking them both out. I'd dragged them to the south tower and stashed them
CallistaWe wait eagerly in the castle until we get an update from Theon. Tension thrums within us as the screens of Theon’s office remain empty of a call or even a text telling us how his meeting with the Galdine pack Alpha, Warren Galdine goes.Seconds tick into minutes, and then hours, but we don’t get anything.“It’s been three hours now,” I tell Kellin, feeling worried about the lack of communication. “Do you think they are alright? I don’t have a good feeling about this.”“I hope so, although I must agree that this whole incident is entirely unsettling,” Kellin mutters, sounding concerned. “Warren is not stupid enough to try and retaliate against the Alpha King, but as I said before, parents do crazy things when it comes to their children. Warren had placed Valencia above everything since the start, and while that is admirable as a father, as an Alpha, it only enabled her further to descend into her madness. He even gave her a position of power, for Goddess’ sake.”“I feel like
CallistaAs soon as I exit the room, I stumble upon a girl who screams upon seeing me.I arm myself with my chain, not caring about her age. She looks old enough to have found her bear. The chain is bundled up with the piece of the bed post and the padlock, giving it a good heft, and I for a fact know that it would knock her out with one strike. “No, please don't hit me, I'm innocent!” She raises her hands in her defense as she stumbles back against the wall.“Who are you?” I snarl, not believing her entirely.“I just work in the pack house, please, I got nothing to do with what's going on!” The girl pleads, her expression filled with panic and fear. “I'm the one who brought you the food so Master Xaveraq could take them to you!”A quick thought passes through my mind.“You know Xaveraq?” I demand and she nods. “I was the one tending to all his needs. My Alpha assigned me to him,” she answers, and I hold the chain and point to it.“In that case, you got any idea where the key to thi
CallistaI can't believe it, Theon is here!Theon is finally here!The sheer relief I feel as soon as I see him nearly brings me to my knees, and I can't help but cry out his name. He's battling two bears at once, expertly dodging their lumbering attacks and hitting them with some of his own.He's fast and he's precise, and in a few minutes, he manages to draw out blood. Next to him, Haden fights, targeting the bears who come toward Theon. They act as a team to take the bears down. Haden has a scratch on his back already, but it doesn't seem to bother him.I find myself screaming at them whenever a bear turns towards them, and every time Theon glances at me, I feel better than I did in the last few days.It's kind of pathetic in hindsight, I guess, but I don't care.This is the first time I'm seeing my mate after four days, and dammit, I'm going to be as sappy as I want. I have so many questions. How is the Rexellen pack? What happened to Farris and Elias? Is Elias really dead? How
TheonAs soon as the Headmistress gives us the signal, Ophelia lifts herself off the ground using her vines and shoots out of the trees.We follow her out, Haden and I shifted to our wolf forms, Master Tsertinand wielding his magical disc, Kiran holding two daggers that look lethal along with a multitude of amulets, and Leita with her vast knowledge of spells and ability to call any animal within the range. As soon as we burst through the tree line, I notice the house and the army of werebears. There might be three or four dozen of them surrounding the hunting lodge-style house that stands in the middle of a grassy field. Some of them are turned while many of them are still in their human forms.I noticed the Gamma who I fought against, Edwin Teller, in the front, standing with his claws out, ready to attack in any given movement. The Headmistress is standing facing a man who is not visible through the trees. The bears get ready to face the witches, and as soon as we appear, they st
CallistaI rush to the window of my room, thankful that the chain is long enough to allow me the movement, and throw open the windows. There is an army of werebears, both turned and in human form, surrounding the house, facing the forest from the east.Near the tree line stands a woman dressed in the white garb of the witches, flowing pants tucked into her boots, a white tunic over a long-sleeved bodice with a sash tied around her waist, and a scarf wound around her neck. Her snow-white hair is tied back from her face, and her pale eyes glisten with an ethereal light.She stands in a posture that radiates power, her head held high, her spine straight, standing tall against an army of bears.I can't help my astonishment. The Headmistress is here!Her eyes flick upwards to the window and focus on my face. They widen slightly, and I can't help but wave like a lunatic and scream, “I'm here! I'm here!”The Headmistress gives me the smallest nod, visible relief in her eyes.“You are the He
CallistaI can't sleep. I anticipated this before. Although the unrest outside had dwindled, I was still alert and wide awake, listening to every little sound. I'm pretty sure it's past midnight at the moment.I'm not a stranger to insomnia, but after having some good nights of sleeping blissfully before this whole fiasco started with Farris taking over the Rexellen pack, my old sleeping habits were making an appearance. The information the devil revealed today doesn't help me either. I still can't wrap my head around all of it.Of all the things to happen to me, I never expected that I'd end up a prisoner to an ancient being who killed thousands just because he wanted to ‘unify all races to save the world’. I mean, come on, that sounds like the plot of an action-packed Hollywood movie. And certainly not one with the supernatural in it. But that is the reality I'm living in. Both the earthquake and the Geraldine pack were his doing. How could he be so callous? So emotionless abou
Theon“Now, the deviless, who'd been raised apart from her parents because she was blessed as a deity, didn't know what love even was,” the Headmistress continues. “It was a different time than ours, and back then, even language was at its infancy. Books were not invented yet. When she asked her servants about the strange emotion she felt whenever she saw the devil they wouldn't give her a straight answer. The servants were certain that the deviless couldn't feel love the way the normal folk did. The poor deviless was confused about herself and decided to ask the young devil warrior for answers herself.”The Headmistress pauses to glance at the barrier, and then turns back to us. It's nearly midnight now, and fortunately, we haven't had any animals wander into the campsite so far. We heard some chirping and rustling here and there, but it was nothing big.My bet was that they were rabbits or squirrels, or some other critters that size. Haden and I were alert, nevertheless, just in cas
Theon“Where's Aldar?” Master Tsertinand asks, making way for the Headmistress to approach the camp.She's dressed unlike I've ever seen her before. The Headmistress usually opts for long dresses and cloaks that look gothic and ancient.But now she's dressed in a costume similar to what the protectors like Kiran wore while they were in the Guild, although it is pure white in color. The protector outfit suits her significantly, making it easier for her to blend with the surroundings and accentuate her strong frame.Her hair is tied back from her face in a severe style, highlighting her angular features. She wears rings studded with stones on all of her fingers, and a stone pendant around her neck. “She had to stay behind to take care of the Guild in my absence,” the Headmistress replies, smiling at all of us in greeting. “The Academy is very busy at this time of the year with the first years getting ready for the Annual festival. Matron Aldar and I can't afford to leave together at su
Theon“We saw a dirt path,” I reply as soon as I transform back to the human form from behind a boulder, using it to hide my nudity. “It's just a moment away from here. There are rocks all around so we can have a cover.”“A dirt path?” Master Tsertinand questions and send the ring a dirty look. “Couldn't have shown me that, could you, you little shit? We're trying to save your damned owner!”The ring, of course, does not answer. “We nearly ran into the barrier when we saw it,” Haden chimes in next to me, having transformed back himself. “Your bird was a great help.”As we say that, the bird itself arrives, chirping. It spirals around us, nearly touching us, and then flies straight towards Master Tsertinand. As soon as it collides with the weapon smith's body, it vanishes. “Did you call the Headmistress?” I question, pulling on my clothes.They're at the same spot I left them. Master Tsertinand was right when he said that the perimeter was smaller than that of the Rexellen pack. It o
Callista“Holy shit, you're the one behind the earthquake too?!” I yell out, unable to believe what I'm hearing.I expected him to reveal a lot of things, but this was not one of them.“I did not mean to. I was never a fan of causing an unnecessary ruckus, and the earthquake did exactly that. It even sapped up some of my own powers in doing so, that I had to absorb more souls to compensate,” Xaveraq says. “Anyway, after that-”“Woah, Woah, Woah,” I stand up from my bed, my heart beating fast in my chest.I'm trying to piece together this puzzle in my head with all the information I'm being given. That part of absorbing souls, whatever that may be, rings a bell in my mind.A very disturbing bell.“So, where did you get your souls?” I demand.“Is that really important at the moment, Callista?” Xaveraq questions in a bored tone. “I thought you wanted to know how I found you.”“Tell me where you got the souls from,” I insist, feeling dread mount within me.I desperately hope he would not